Interstate 580 Express Lanes - Livermore Valley

[jrouse]

FasTrak Flex will eventually be coming to San Diego.  Not sure when.  Right now the I-15 express lanes are not set up with license plate readers, which are needed if you are going to require all users to carry a tag.

California is in the process of moving away from the old Title 21 electronic toll collection protocol and using the 6C protocol, which is used in all of the other western states and British Columbia.  This is a cost saving move.  The Title 21 protocol is 20+ years old and there are only a couple of firms that make those tags.  The tags are also more expensive than 6C tags.   Furthermore, 6C technology is under consideration as a potential tag that would be implemented to meet the legislative requirement for nationwide interoperability among toll facilities.  So this switch may make complying with that requirement easier.

Rather than invest in Title 21 switchable tags, some of California's tolling agencies may wait to implement the switchable tag requirement when we begin using the 6C technology.  Tentatively, that will happen in 2018.


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[jrouse]

The tag readers on the LA express lanes and the new express lanes in the Bay Area will scan that component.  I'm not sure about the existing express lanes on CA-237 and I-680.  Eventually both of those facilities will start requiring all users to carry a tag, though, and require the Flex tag for toll-free travel.
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Update: The I-680 express lane over Sunol Grade in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties is equipped to handle FasTrak Flex.  Per the Alameda County Transportation Commission, which operates the lane, "The facility is equipped to read the newly introduced FasTrak® flex toll tags. When the toll tag is set at 2 or 3, the toll readers located on I-680 Southbound will read them and allow the carpool users to continue to use the lane at no cost. Solo drivers can set their FasTrak® Flex to 1 to pay a toll to use the lane."